What is the main conflict in The Amateurs by David Halberstam?

This is a nonfiction work of the 20th century. It is about a handful of Olympic level athletes. The author is a journalist, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work for the Americans while Americans are participating in military conflicts in Viet Nam. The book begins with an Olympic trial, which goes largely unnoticed. There is very little press. The sport is rowing. This requires high speed, high effort, and teamwork. In this sport individual performance is more intimately associated with the success of the team than is found in many other sports.